Are you interested in living or learning more about
a sustainable, natural and healthy lifestyle? Or are
you frustrated because you don’t know what to
do, who offers what or where to find the variety
of local options that could support a lifestyle that
incorporates green, natural or as some would say,
‘earthy’, options? Well, five years ago, Rhonda
Wright, Founder and Director of SEEDlings’
Place, a non-profit organization geared toward
educating and supporting persons interested in a
plant based food lifestyle or natural, healthy living,
wanted to provide answers to these questions. She
was tired of hearing the comments, ‘it’s so hard to
be a vegan or to eat healthy in The Bahamas,’ or
‘Eating healthy is just not affordable.’ As a strict
vegetarian herself, she wanted to showcase the
options available to support this lifestyle in The
Bahamas for those persons who were interested in
doing so or learning more about it. She wanted
people to know that it CAN be done!
So in 2009, she embarked upon the planning of such
a wellness event, initially to be called Nutri-Fest.
The Retreat grounds at The Bahamas National
Trust was a perfect location for this kind of event.
With its lush, naturally beautiful surroundings, one
would be able to immerse himself in nature, while
learning about natural, healthy ways to live within
nature. With The Bahamas National Trust having
already held Spring Fling in March 2009, an event
which focused on promoting sustainability as a
means to safeguard our environment’s natural
resources, when Rhonda approached Lynn Gape,
Assistant Executive Director of The Trust, she
saw an opportunity for collaboration and a perfect
marriage. Thus with the vision of a health and
wellness festival, as presented by Rhonda along
with BNT’s platform for conservation and eco-
living, Bahamas National Trust and SEEDlings’
Place combined concepts and partnered to host
the first ever health, wellness AND sustainability
festival in The Bahamas. It was held on Feb. 28th,
under the theme, Celebrating Holistic Lifestyles
and Sustainable Living. There were 30 vendors
showcasing either sustainable, vegan, vegetarian,
organic, natural or holistic services and products.
The event attracted a wide audience of persons
already on the path or curious about learning
more about what it means to live green. From
the very beginning, there was a global vision and
desire to grow this festival to become a regional
mainstay. This initial nugget was planted with the
presence of our first international guest speaker,
internationally renowned author, spiritualist and
naturalist Dr. Akua Gray.
In 2010 and 2011, the festival served as the main
culminating event of the health and wellness
campaign, Love Yourself & Your Health (a
community campaign started and organized by
SEEDlings’ Place). The campaign, which was
built upon strategic community partnerships with
other wellness advocates and health professionals
was widely received and followed. Several
platforms were created to support the community
some of which include: Holistic health forums
presenting speakers on various topics; The ‘Love
Your Tuesday’ weekly radio show which aired
on Immediate Response with Chrissy Love led
and an established Love Yourself & Your Health
team led by Rhonda Wright; cooking classes were
held; TEAM SEEDlings was formed and were
successful in participating in Marathon Bahamas
for 2 years, initially in the relay, then in the half
marathon. The teams’ success was due to the
training of Coach Sha King. A Green Smoothie